


My Heart And I Agree, He's Everything On This Earth To Me

by RosalieBlack



Category: Anne of Green Gables (TV 1985) & Related Fandoms, Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, How Do I Tag, No Beta, Renew Anne with an E, Romance, Strangers to Lovers, Tiny bit of Angst, We Die Like Men, Why Did I Write This?, i don't make the rules, it's Christmas, mild misunderstanding, my works without angst don't exist, we need roody that's why
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:13:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28364463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosalieBlack/pseuds/RosalieBlack
Summary: The pianist flashes her a soft smile that shows his dimples, and never taking his eyes off her changes the melody into something else. She knows this one, it’s ‘Stella by Starlight’, she has the lyrics engraved into her mind by countless sessions of listening to Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis. All of sudden Ruby’s cup is the most interesting thing in the whole world.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe & Moody Spurgeon MacPherson, Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley, Ruby Gillis & Josie Pye, Ruby Gillis/Moody Spurgeon MacPherson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	My Heart And I Agree, He's Everything On This Earth To Me

**Author's Note:**

> Title is a paraphrase of a line from 'Stella by Starlight'.

There’s a calming sound of Ella’s Fitzgerald voice filling the pastel room decorated with fairy light curtains, pink accents and the most extravagant white Christmas tree Ruby Gillis could find on the Internet. It’s not even December yet, but freezing temperatures and snow outside got the whole Pad’s House in the Christmas mood quite quickly, as if residents of this place have been waiting the entire year for the first signal to draw their favourite ornaments from top shelves. It's been a few hours, but Ruby still tries to process past events and find the moment she agreed to go to an unknown (at least for her) cafe. She can't really recall anything except _‘Rubes, please, I have a date with Anne and I can't use this voucher’_ , so she grips a piece of glitter decorated paper in her hand, wondering why she couldn't just have thrown it into a trash bin and forget about Gilbert's puppy eyes. The truth is that it’s not in her character to say no to her friends, and she knows a pleading gaze of certain hazel eyes would haunt her forever in nightmares if she didn't agree to use the darn card. The woman sits on her bed, golden hair wrapped in a towel, freshly painted nails drying as she looks at her vintage pink dress with resignation. The thrift shop haul doesn’t succeed in consoling her despair.

Ruby doesn’t want to go out. She would like to stay in the safety of her own room, listening to jazz musicians on her vinyl collection and humming quietly to herself until the rest of her housemates would come home. They all would gather in the kitchen and order something to eat, while hearing an endless banter between Jane and Tillie about their poor food choices. Even with that little obstacle on the way to fill their bellies, the idea of staying home sounds much better than going out all alone on a winter evening.

She looks at the coupon with a tiny bit of hurt in her eyes, and the paper seems to laugh at her misery. The woman starts her ritual of preparations for socialising, occasionally wishing Gilbert called and cancelled his earlier pleading. When nothing like this happens, and she gets the message that her uber waits for her, with one final defeated sigh Ruby leaves warmth and safety of her own room. Tonight is going to be a challenge for the young woman, and she braces herself for the worst of experiences.

Fortunately the uber driver seems to hate small talks as much as the blonde does, so the car is filled with Christmas songs playing from the most popular radio station, which suits Ruby just fine. She’s looking out of the window now, internally gasping at the beauty of fairy lights, Christmas trees and artificial reindeers covered in a thick layer of shimmering snow. It’s quite late, yet children are still playing outside, throwing snowballs at each other, and then laughing maniacally. A kid in her would gladly join the gang, and play with them, but the woman only smiles fondly, remembering days she used to do the same thing with her friends; some things just never change. The sights behind car windows lift Ruby’s soul enough to make her a little bit more excited for her night out than she would expect, and before she manages to overthink the whole installment, cursing Gilbert under her breath, the driver informs her they arrived at the given address.

Ruby knows this neighbourhood rather vaguely, and with heart in her throat lays her eyes on the cafe that looks like the most vintage thing she has ever seen, and just a short second before she gets in, candles in the windows get her full attention as her whole body freezes for a moment, before she forces herself to move. The blonde draws the card out of her bag, barely registering her surroundings as a feerie of smells, colors and sounds attacks her senses. Almost immediately Ruby senses her favourite smell of cinnamon and vanilla, and takes it as an encouraging sign, then directs her steps towards the first free barista she spots, just to get over the whole process; the black haired woman that could definitely be on the cover of pin-up girls brochure is nice, even manages to engage Ruby in short conversation about her coffee choice. Trading the voucher she has been hating for a few hours for a free cup of coffee and a piece of carrot cake, the blonde choses a seat near the window, just to get a better view on amazingly looking Christmas decorations. When she’s finally settled and nestled in the warmth of a floral armchair Ruby has a full sight of the cafe.

There’s not so many people there, just a few middle-aged couples, a group of seniors that are probably long time friends, and some singles with laptops on their tables. Her eyes wander around the room absent-mindedly as the blonde sips her cinnamon latte, not being able to hold herself back from quietly humming the Christmas carol someone’s playing on the piano. Ruby stares at the pianist curiously, he’s not older than her, perhaps even younger, but in the dim light of vintage lamps she can’t see correctly. Yet she has an excellent sight of his profile, his lips pressed together in silent focus, straight strands of milk chocolate hair falling on his forehead. His hands roam over the keys intentionally, with precisely measured force and speed, which comes from under his fingers in the form of a merry sound of Jingle Bells. This view alone is extremely hypnotising, the atmosphere of pure joy and warmth that surrounds him is palpable where Ruby sits.

Just as if he’s sensing someone observes him, the young man turns his head slowly, scanning the room for a moment until his eyes meet hers, and Ruby feels more bare than ever before, and her heart picks up running speed almost hitting her sternum. The pianist flashes her a soft smile that shows his dimples, and never taking his eyes off her changes the melody into something else. She knows this one, it’s _‘Stella by Starlight’_ , she has the lyrics engraved into her mind by countless sessions of listening to Frank Sinatra and Miles Davis. All of sudden Ruby’s cup is the most interesting thing in the whole world as she gazes at an unfinished liquid with almost genuine fascination, praying that no one will notice her burning cheeks. It doesn’t take more than a few seconds for her to realise the piano has stopped playing, and she spots the man standing up, his eyes still fixed on her table. When someone with a saxophone takes over playing, a wave of panic rushes through her body, and the woman desperately looks for something that will excuse her from meeting the pianist. The blonde reaches for her phone, pretending she has an urgent call, and grabs her coat rapidly, nearly running away as far as possible from the table and the mysterious man, not really knowing why.

When Ruby is two streets away from the cafe she lets herself catch a breath and orders an uber back home; her voice trembles filled with a mix of not precised excitement and adrenaline. Waiting for a ride to appear, the woman’s eyes linger on a couple on the opposite side of the street — a tall and dark man wraps his arms around petite blonde as they take a selfie by huge metal installment recreating the shape of a reindeer, fresh snow falling on their matching red beanies. As they lean in, closing the gap between them with a kiss, Ruby turns her head in the opposite direction, feeling as if she’s interrupting an intimate moment. There’s a pang in her chest, something tied to a regret and a disappointment, but she refuses to think about it until she’ll reach home; the woman doesn’t trust herself when it comes to overthinking, since quite often she ends up crying for no actual reason.

The blonde climbs upstairs in a hurry, passing by her own bedroom and bursts into Josie’s room too much absorbed by million thoughts to care about such a simple thing as knocking, and waiting for the woman’s response. Miss Pye doesn’t seem to be surprised by a sudden visitor, so she closes her laptop, lightly gesturing on the bed.

“I’ve seen a very handsome young man. Actually, there’s a possibility I already have developed a crush on him” Ruby blurts words at a marathon speed as she’s laying back on the mattress, sighing deeply when she reminds herself of her embarrassing behaviour.

“What’s his name?” The other woman asks without a hint of shock in her voice; Josie’s used to how often Ruby falls in love and then forgets about her crush as soon as another one appears on the horizon. But that doesn’t mean she’s not _concerned_. Quite frankly due to her shyness and emotional attachment the girl exposes herself to a heartbreak too quickly and too soon for Josie’s liking — for the past months she has seen her friend’s trust, and belief in true love, was shattered in a way that makes her blood boil whenever Pye thinks about it.

“Well… I don’t know” The blonde curls herself on Josie’s pillows, wrapped in a purple blanket, and giggles at the way her friend cocks her brow in confusion. “I ran away as soon as he tried to approach me. At least, I think he tried to approach me.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, Jo. Suddenly, it all became so overwhelming, I was in a strange cafe, and a stranger tried to bond with me… I just panicked” Ruby grunts unhappily, when she discovers she can’t find proper words to describe what had happened in the jazz cafe. She wishes Anne wasn’t so busy preparing for her exams, so she could provide her with an accurate vocabulary.

“But you like him anyway? I don’t understand.” The whole situation seems to be too complicated for Josie’s analytic mind, and the blonde immediately regrets that she’s started the conversation, bothering Pye to talk things over with her. Sometimes she envies Josie her pragmatic way of perceiving reality, everything looks much less difficult this way. Unfortunately, Ruby is currently taking baby steps in her own inner world as she’s just begun naming her emotions and feelings after years of being told she was overreacting and needed to calm down. Sometimes all those feelings are still covered by a thick fog of misjudgement.

“Me neither. He just seemed to be nice. He was playing _‘Stella by Starlight’_ without looking at the music sheets!” Gillis stops herself before she’ll insert some stupid thought about fate and soulmates, because she knows Josie won’t believe her. Somewhere, deep down inside her guts Ruby knows she herself wouldn’t swallow it; she accepted a long time ago that destiny is a thing from fairytales.

“Here’s my idea: let’s go to sleep, and talk about it tomorrow once you’re refreshed.”

The blonde comes back to Josie twenty minutes later with her favourite blanket and a pink pillow tucked under her armpit. The other woman shifts on the mattress, trying to create some space on a tiny bed cramped under a windowsill. Ruby breathes deeply in and out, and can’t quite comprehend events of the day, which makes sleeping a truly hard part of the night.

“Can you blow out the candle?” the blonde asks quietly once she’s tightly wrapped in a blanket, not sure if Josie has already fallen asleep.

“Of course, goodnight Ruby.”

For the first time in long months Ruby has trouble sleeping, tossing and turning in Josie’s bed, and looking at a wall clock every ten minutes. The man from the jazz cafe seems to be a phantom haunting her in half-wakefulness, his soft profile illuminated by an incandescent glow of vintage lamps, his hands roaming over piano keys with a thoughtful manner, causing the woman to puff quietly as she curls her fingers on a fluffy material. Night is long, too long to endure plaguing flashes of the pianist, the woman takes a look at Josie from time to time not wanting to interrupt her friend’s sleep, but she’s restless, and persistent occupancy of her thoughts doesn’t make things easier.

Perhaps that’s the reason why a few days later Josie proposes Ruby going out to the cafe together. “I need to see him with my own two eyes” she says in her usual authoritarian tone, crossing arms over her chest while the other woman packs her pink scrubs and a lunchbox into a shopping bag; Gillis bites her lower lip analyzing the offer as a sight of the mysterious musician clouds her judgement — curiosity and pulling to the jazz cafe are too strong for her to resist it. She heads there directly after work, just to _‘grab a latte with her best friend’_.

It’s late evening when Ruby stands in front of the cafe again, gripping her bag straps with gloved hands as adrenaline slowly starts running through her veins; the blonde takes a sharp inhale of icy air and grasps a door handle pushing herself into the building. Already inside, she scans the overly decorated interior for the pianist, but instead she spots the person who plays saxophone before finding Josie in the farthest corner of the cafe. The blonde approaches the counter anyway as a knot of disappointment settles itself in her throat, and with a cup of latte and the same carrot cake she ordered the first time here joins Josie by the table.

“I need to go to the toilet” Pye blurts out as soon as Ruby settles in a flowery armchair, and leaves her seat in a hurry which the blonde barely registers. The woman scrolls through her instagram feed idly, waiting for Josie until someone shifts rather loudly near her, and she looks up at them only to recognise this person as the pianist. Her mouth goes dry as her eyes wander up and down his posture; she’s left dumbstruck.

“Uhm, hi” he greets her with a short wave of the hand, the sleeves of his white shirt are rolled up, and his voice soft. They’re close enough to each other for Ruby to see his eyes remind dark chocolate, somehow suiting his tall and warming posture, and after a really quick look the woman fixes her gaze on a cup of untouched coffee. “Can I?”

“Well, my friend is here with me” Ruby rubs her already sweaty hands into her scrubs when he gestures at the free armchair. She already feels his gaze ripping through her body and touching the soul, in a way she doesn’t understand — she has never met him before, yet the musician seems to fit in perfectly, like an old friend that has been there all the time, silent and invisible for her eyes.

The woman has been too tired to change after the all day long shift, and wants to laugh at the ridiculousness of her state — tiredness doesn’t look too good on her. With a pink medical uniform on she doesn’t match the vintage atmosphere of the cafe.

“The tall blonde one? I just saw her grabbing her coat and leaving.” She knows there’s no escape when the man informs her about Josie’s exit, and she should have expected it since her friend is a sly mastermind of plotting. “I want to apologise for the other day” the pianist starts after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, then he laughs to himself, flashing those adorable dimples. Ruby’s heart speeds up rapidly, and she has to hold her wrist with other hand to make sure she didn’t imagine that over-the-scale pulse. There’s an infinite amount of gentleness inside the man’s dark eyes, which makes the blonde melt a little. “It’s not the first time my attempts at flirting scared the shit out of a girl. You just didn’t look happy and I thought you don’t like Christmas songs. I’m sorry if I was too forward.”

“I do like Christmas songs, and I enjoyed _‘Stella by Starlight’_ as well” the blonde responds, grasping at any topic she can reach, only because she has nothing else to say. Suddenly her mind is empty, and she can’t even force herself to come up with a witty remark about the weather, it’s the first time she measures each word, desperately wanting to not sound stupid. She’s nervous, blushing under his embarrassed smile and soft stare; her voice hitches just a little. “I’m Ruby.”

The pianist seems to be awestruck for a moment, as he gazes at her with half open mouth, only to fix himself at a record speed when he’s awakened from whatever trance he was in. Yet he shifts nervously in the chair, as if his previous flirty attitude has disappeared all of sudden, but Ruby doesn’t mind, and sends him a shy smile, trying not to look too panicked. Every second of heavy silence between them is filled with something she can’t label, but she’s getting unable to take her eyes off him as her brain works hard to memorise the man’s features, just in case, she would never see him again. For a longer moment her gaze lingers on the fullness of his reddened plump lips, and she quietly swallows the rest of air resting in her throat to fill her lungs.

“Well, nice to meet you, Ruby.” The blonde finds out she quite likes the sound of her name on his tongue. It’s sweet, not too pretentious, and his accent is utterly adorable. “Honestly, I thought you’d tell me to go fuck myself, so that’s a relief. I’m Moody, by the way. No Harry Potter references, please.”

“Why would I?” she can’t help but giggle at the way he pouts his lips. “It’s name like any other.”

“I don’t know, I guess it’s just a college-old habit.” Moody’s mouth twitches as an indication of a longer history of the mentioned habit, but they seem to be in unsaid agreement that it’s not the place nor time to tell such stories. “I’ve never seen you here before until recently, how do you like this cafe?”

One question leads to another. So the small talk begins, and they chat about such a prosaic things as Christmas decorations, the weather, although the woman is generally opposed to little chats with strangers, Moody is a really good company for conversations about the stupidest matters like why Dumbledore was a true villain of the whole Harry Potter saga or why remastered songs completely lack the aesthetics and retro climate. Ruby’s curiosity is not sated at all, quite the contrary, she craves to know more about the man, and even creates a list of questions she is too afraid to ask, so that goes along with the small talk, letting him speak his mind about the most absurd Christmas presents. He makes her laugh to the extent she didn’t know existed, and it’s just within a few quarters from the exchange of their names, her cheeks are already sore from grinning so much. It’s the first time Ruby forgets about her tiredness, the way she looks or how hard it is for her to connect with anyone due to her shyness, it’s just them talking like they have been friends since always. The blonde could go on and on listening to him, but painful reality gets in between them, when one of the baristas informs the pair it’s time to close the cafe.

“Would I sound entirely lame if I asked you for your number instead of your socials?” Moody asks as they head out of the cafe. The streets are nearly empty, since it’s not the centre of the city and this neighbourhood is one of the most boring; teenagers are probably partying in more interesting places. “If it’s alright with you, of course. I don’t want to sound like a crazy stalker, but I’d be happy if I got a message that you’re safe home.”

Somehow the woman manages to do more than listening or responding with short answers, and bids the man goodbye with a fun fact that randomly runs through her mind at the moment, typing her number into his phone and he does the same for her. Outside it’s a true winter, freezing wind bites her cheeks harshly and snow under her feet scrunches, yet the woman feels warm inside, and it’s the kind of warmth one experiences after drinking a big mug of hot chocolate topped with whipped cream and a dash of marshmallows. She doesn’t mind that it’s nearly midnight when she comes back home; neither do her housemates as they got used to late night returns. The blonde woman is buzzing with excitement as she starts her bedtime routine, and giggles instantly, receiving a meme from Moody as a response to her _‘I’m home, safe and sound’_ text; she just can’t stop smiling.

 **[00:30] Moody:** So… this may be me overthinking, but I’ve just remembered you were in scrubs, and probably wanted just to drink coffee and go home. Sorry if I bothered you.

 **[00:30] Moody:** BTW, is your friend alright?

 **[00:31] Ruby:** I didn’t mind, really ;) she’s okay, it’s her typical behavior, don’t worry

The woman is not sure what makes her grin like Cheshire cat at her phone, past midnight, laying in her and typing furiously on a fictional keyboard, but her traitorous fingers tap on the _'send'_ button before she starts deleting her message, so there's really no way she could back off now. Ruby hopes her words don’t sound too needy or attention seeking, as she looks at the phone with horror, thinking he might have gotten annoyed by her text and already blocked her number.

 **[00:34] Ruby:** we should do it again

 **[00:36] Moody:** yeah? :D

She bites her lips hard, feeling as if her heart is about to escape from the ribcage, finally dropping heavily onto her pillows with a deep sigh. Right now tiredness is hitting her with double force as the excitement has worn off eventually, and the blonde yawns loudly covering herself with warm duvet, wondering if Moody does the same at the moment, or if he’s a night owl and would spent some time in the darkness of his bedroom, practising his already great piano skills. What would he eat in the morning? Does he even eat breakfasts? How does he drink his coffee, and if he drinks it at all? Ruby’s mind races with thousands of questions she doesn’t know answers to yet.

 **[00:38] Ruby:** yeah, definitely

 **[00:42] Moody:** in case you would like to listen to more of my conspiracy theories, you know where to look for me ;)

So she does. Ruby looks for the pianist every night after shift, until she knows the way from work to the jazz cafe by heart. Each time the woman finds him almost instantly, then they explore corners of the coffee shop, and when it gets too small to accommodate their growing friendship, the pair starts to explore the city together, which as it turns out still keeps a lot of secrets from prying eyes. That’s exactly when they discover the bizarre beauty of blockbuster Christmas animated movies on a tiny screen of an independent retro cinema.

“No jokes, I would die for Olaf!” says Ruby, as she munches happily on her caramel apple. They’ve just left the cinema, still buzzing from all the stimulus they’ve gotten there. Moody holds their cups of hot chocolate, and lets the woman take her time with the snack as they move through the oldest part of the city at a snail’s pace. She looks at him accusingly, narrowing her eyes and pointing at his navy jumper with the cookie men and little Grinches all over it. “Besides, you should have told me to wear something Chistmas-ish.”

“This was very last minute actually” the man laughs wholeheartedly, adjusting colorful knitted scarf on his neck, and Ruby gulps audibly, realising she has been staring at him a wee too intensively. “We had an ugly Christmas sweater contest at the kindergarten that I forgot about, so that I had to buy the last piece available at the store, but I've won anyway! And then came in my prize-winning armour to the cinema.”

Technically the woman knows Moody teaches music at a kindergarten since the very beginning of their friendship, but it hits her just now, and she has to forbid her brain from imagining him surrounded by little children to prevent herself from melting completely. Moody is epitome of chaotic good energy, but at the same time everything about him is so warm and calming that Ruby can't help but get drawn to his natural jolly self. When she finishes her apple, the man gives her still hot cup, full of deliciously smelling chocolate back, continuing their discussion about characters from Frozen, because it seems that the movie captured their interest mutually. There haven’t been many dates (not that this one is a date, not at all) in the woman’s twenty three years of life, but never before has she felt so free; free to feel, to show emotions, to be herself. He already saw her crying on at least three different occasions, and was the first man who hadn’t told her to calm down. What a liberating experience!

“I would gladly let Elsa step on me. I am openly admitting I'm a simp” Moody's melodic voice is filled with genuine amusement and Ruby quickly joins him in his laughter. This time she lets him walk her home, so they have a good thirty minutes of talking and giggles ahead before they'll reach Pad's House. “She actually reminds me of you…”

He must be terrified by the blonde's sharp reaction to his helpless flirting, but she couldn’t care less about it right now. Ruby’s mind works with double force, trying to connect the dots between her and the fictional character, only to think about Elsa as distanced, cold and unkind. Somehow it doesn’t surprise the woman, since in their fast expanding friendship Moody is solely the one who’s opening up and sharing the insides of his soul, while Ruby prefers talking about her work, her friends, her interests, but nothing that exposes too much of her. The blonde keeps things superficial, telling herself it’s safer this way for both of them, even though deep down she wants to let him in.

“It’s alright” Ruby smiles at him gently. “I was just wondering what actually reminds you of me.”

_‘You’re so shallow, Ruby. You’re never telling me about things.’_

_‘Do I even know you, Ruby?’_

The woman’s mind wanders to a darker place before she hears response to her request. It’s cold there, always so cold, it’s filled with possibilities that could've happened if she was better, more inviting, less emotional, more compliant, less distanced. There are familiar faces telling her to stop crying, to calm down, and when she’s calm — to be open for other people. One familiar face creeps in a form of shadow, covering her whole body with its presence, bonding with another one by an invisible string; “ _lovely faces_ ” one could think; _lovers’ faces_ it’s what it was.

_‘You were so cold, what was I supposed to think? She was just so lovely…’_

_‘You need to calm down…’_ Big girls don’t cry, do they?

“It’s obvious — I mean — Elsa is…” Moody stops for a moment, trying to find accurate words to express his thoughts about the matter, so does the woman as she stands in front of him, brought back from her dark thoughts, sipping her chocolate, head slightly tilted to one side is a sign of curiosity. “Caring and intelligent; loving, and you are, too. You’re beautiful inside and out, Ruby.”

The woman drowns inside his warm chocolate eyes that emanate merry sparks whenever she looks at them. Quite frankly, Moody’s words didn’t exactly reach Ruby’s mind since it has blanked at the sensation of his closeness. Their hot breaths mix in freezing air, and the man’s pinewood fragrance attacks her senses until she feels it under her skin, humming electricity running through all of her nerves with power that parts her lips and escape in the form of soft sigh. Moody takes one of his gloves off and reaches to her cheek, tinted pink from cold, and Ruby finds herself unable to stop staring at him as the man brushes thumb over her cheekbone, wiping away one lost eyelash. “Think of a wish” he whispers, the blonde barely registers anything that happens around her as she focuses entirely on the musician’s voice, the warmth inside her chest is nearly painfull, and she closes her eyes imagining what she could wish for. It’s hard to force her mind to work in a quick search for what the woman could want at the moment, but a certain thought slips into her head as her gaze remains stuck on his lips.

When she opens her eyes it’s like Moody knows exactly what she has wished for as he leans closer to her, not even an inch between their faces. She inhales his scent with delight only her body knows, aches to wrap arms around his neck and bury her head into his shoulder, finding an escape from the world outside and staying in this little bubble of joy forever. Ruby’s breath speeds up involuntarily, she can swear her heart will soon get tired from the neck breaking pace it has picked up. The woman experiences delicious dizziness from being too close to the sun and not having enough of its warmth, when their lips linger so close to each other their breaths blend together instantly as Moody’s thumb keeps stroking her cheek absentmindedly.

She’s so close to leaning into the man’s touch fully, but something red flashes around her, hissing, and the smell of smoke causes Ruby to inhale sharply and push Moody away. The paper cup hits the ground spilling its contents on the snow that melts the moment hot chocolate floods it. In a rush of panic the blonde looks round only to spot a group of children with sparklers in their hands, running cheerfully between food trucks and timber shacks emanating delicious smells of festive snacks and mulled wine, decorated with beautiful crafts.

_It’s just sparklers._

Ruby trembles, unable to take her eyes off small fireworks, and Moody seems to be completely confused by her unexpected reaction, but he’s the first to compose himself after the incident. The musician picks up an empty cup from the ground and throws it to a bin, coming back to her a half minute later, with genuine worry written all over his face. The blonde knows the rest of her day, or at least the two nearest hours are going to be ruined by the constant picturing of those sparklers, but she doesn’t want Moody to remember this evening as spoiled by the group of obnoxious kids.

“Are you alright, Ruby?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” The woman forces herself to stop watching sparklers, and moves on still a bit uneasy from a sudden wave of shock and horror, but she insists on keeping herself collected until she’ll be tucked in the safety of her room. Ruby refuses to notice Moody’s concerned look as she flashes him a forced smile. “What do you think about Anna?”

She feels ungrateful and rude when they reach Pad’s House, but only offers Moody a wave of hand as a goodbye, not inviting him in, and breathes with true relief when he doesn’t ask for it, smiling politely and turning back. On the other hand Ruby feels a very strong urge to bang her head into a heavy door as she stares at the way his shoulders slump when he thinks she doesn’t see him anymore. The woman grips her gloves with one hand, the other is clutching onto her coat near where her heart beats, and her forehead rests against the wooden surface as she shuts her eyes close before tears have the opportunity to fall.

“Look at that!” Josie emerges from the living room to show her something on her Facebook, but Ruby doesn’t understand. Her mind is blank, filled with damn sparklers and Moody’s slumped shoulders, and it’s entirely her fault. “It's an Avonlea Elementary School photo! See, that’s Gilbert here, Anne, and Moody! Your Moody is actually _our_ Gilbert’s best friend, Ruby!”

Pye stops as soon as she sees how pale her friend became in the span of a few seconds.

“Wait, you didn’t know?!”

She didn’t know.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Luvs!  
> I hope you all are alright and had peaceful, merry Christmas.  
> This fic was supposed to be published earlier, but it turns out I can't trust my muses, LOL.  
> Anyway, I'm happy to finally share this piece with you.  
> Enjoy!


End file.
